WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate immigration bill outlined Tuesday attempts to meet long-sought demands from America's technology sector for more high-skilled workers from abroad to fill the gap created by a shortage of American candidates.

A girl holds up a banner while people take part in a rally to demand that Congress fix the broken immigration system at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, April 6, 2013. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Under the proposed bipartisan legislation outlined Tuesday, the official quota of "H1-B" visas for high-skilled, foreign workers would increase by 69 percent to 110,000.

But businesses would need to pay these employees high salaries and ensure qualified American applicants are not passed over.

The visa quota could go as high as 180,000 in future years from the current 65,000 limit, based on certain conditions, according to an outline of the bill.

In addition, the number of visas for foreigners who hold advanced degrees from U.S. universities would increase to 25,000 from the current 20,000.

Businesses, particularly tech companies, have lobbied for more H-1B visas for years. Companies apply for these visas annually, and demand routinely outstrips supply.

The H-1B is a nonimmigrant visa in the United States that allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. The duration of stay is three years, extendable to six years.

Earlier this month, the United States awarded 85,000 H-1B visas while receiving about 124,000 applications.

Critics of the H-1B visas say the program allows companies to pay foreign workers lower salaries than they pay to Americans with comparable skills.

To address this concern, the Senate's draft legislation calls for employers "to pay significantly higher wages for H-1B workers than under current law," the outline said.

Businesses would also need to advertise to American workers first any job openings that could be obtained by foreign applicants.

Companies that are found to be abusing the visa program would be hit with penalties.

More broadly, the Senate's proposal would phase in requirements that businesses of all sizes verify an employee's work status.

Separately, the proposed legislation would create a new visa for foreign entrepreneurs looking to emigrate to the United States to start their own companies.

Another part of the proposed legislation creates a new system for admitting temporary workers for unskilled jobs - janitors, hotel and restaurant workers and labourers - for companies that can show they need them.

Businesses will need to file an estimate of the number of these employees they want to hire, the dates of employment and a description of the type of work.

Businesses can be denied permission to hire these workers if they have previously violated certain U.S. labour rules.

Yet another section of the legislation would cover the flow of agricultural workers, creating a new "guest worker" visa program to ensure an adequate agriculture workforce.

A portable "W" category of visa would replaced the current H-2A visa program for agricultural employment.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's defence ministry said on Tuesday that "some countries" are increasing tension in Asia and the Pacific, in thinly veiled criticism of U.S. efforts to ramp up its military presence and alliances in the region.

China is uneasy with what the United States has called the "rebalancing" of forces as the United States winds down the war in Afghanistan and pays renewed attention to the Asia-Pacific region.

China says the policy has emboldened Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam in longstanding territorial disputes.

China faces "multiple and complicated security threats" despite its growing influence, the Ministry of National Defense said in an annual white paper, adding that the U.S. strategy meant "profound changes" for the region.

"There are some countries which are strengthening their Asia Pacific military alliances, expanding their military presence in the region and frequently make the situation there tenser," the ministry said in the paper.

"On the issues concerning China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, some neighbouring countries are taking actions that complicate or exacerbate the situation, and Japan is making trouble over the Diaoyu Islands issue," it said.

The dispute with Japan over the uninhabited islands, which Japan calls Senkaku, has escalated in recent months to the point where China and Japan have scrambled fighter jets while patrol ships shadow each other.

The waters around the islands in the East China Sea are rich fishing grounds and have potentially huge oil and gas reserves.

Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines also have conflicting claims with China in parts of the South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands. China lays claim to almost the whole of the sea, which is criss-crossed by crucial shipping lanes.

The U.S. shift comes as China boosts military spending and builds submarines, surface ships and anti-ship ballistic missiles as part of its naval modernisation, and has tested emerging technology aimed at destroying missiles in mid-air.

China has repeatedly said the world has nothing to fear from its military spending which is needed for legitimate defensive purposes, and that the sums spent pale in comparison with U.S. defence expenditure.

"Major powers are vigorously developing new and more sophisticated military technologies so as to ensure that they can maintain strategic superiority in international competition in such areas as outer space and cyber space," the ministry said.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Writing by Michael Martina; Editing by Robert Birsel)

BOSTON (Reuters) - Two bombs ripped through the crowd at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing three people, maiming others and injuring more than 100 in what a White House official said would be treated as an "act of terror."

Runners continue to run towards the finish line of the Boston Marathon as an explosion erupts near the finish line of the race in this photo exclusively licensed to Reuters by photographer Dan Lampariello after he took the photo in Boston, Massachusetts, April 15, 2013. REUTERS/Dan Lampariello

It was the worst bombing on U.S. soil since security was tightened after the attacks of September 11, 2001, and President Barack Obama promised to hunt down whoever was responsible for the attack on a day when tens of thousands of spectators packed the streets to watch the world-famous race.

No one has been arrested and the White House official said it would have to be determined whether the attack came from a foreign or domestic source.

Investigators found what could be five additional, undetonated explosive devices around the Boston area, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing two unnamed people briefed on the investigation. The evidence had yet to be fully analyzed, the Journal said.

The blasts a few seconds apart knocked some runners off their feet and shattered what had been a resplendent spring day with the state of Massachusetts celebrating Patriots' Day, which commemorates the U.S. war of independence on the third Monday in April.

April 15 is also the deadline for U.S. taxpayers to file their annual income tax returns.

Many runners were heading for the finish when a fireball and smoke rose from behind cheering spectators and a row of flags representing the countries of participants, video from the scene showed.

The cheers turned to screams and panic.

"I saw people who looked like they had their legs blown off. There was a lot of blood over their legs. Then people were being pushed in wheelchairs," said Joe Anderson, 33, a fisherman from Pembroke, Massachusetts, who had just run the race holding a large U.S. flag.

Many of the victims were gravely injured, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said.

Some suffered shrapnel wounds and amputations and will require repeat operations in the coming days, said Peter Fagenholtz, a trauma surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Ambulances, fire trucks and dozens of police vehicles converged at the scene, and spectators could be seen crying and consoling each other.

The dead included an 8-year-old boy, the Boston Globe reported, citing two law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation.

A 2-year-old was being treated with a head injury at Boston Children's Hospital, the hospital said in a statement.

"It sounded like a sonic boom. I haven't stopped shaking yet," said Melissa Stanley, who watched her daughter cross the finish line four minutes before the explosions.

The blasts put police on alert in major cities across the United States, including in Washington, D.C. and New York City, sites of the September 11 attacks.

'POWERFUL DEVICES'

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis called them "powerful devices."

Davis told a news conference at least three people died and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said more than 100 people were wounded.

FBI Boston Special Agent In Charge Richard DesLauriers declined at the same news conference to comment on media reports that police found unexploded devices.

In Washington, Obama told reporters, "Make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this and we will find out who did this."

"Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice," he said.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation took the lead on the investigation with help from several other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

The two explosions at 2:50 p.m. were about 50 to 100 yards (metres) apart as runners crossed the finish line with a timer showing 4 hours and 9 minutes, some 9 minutes faster than the average finish time, as reported by Runner's World magazine.

Spectators typically line the 26.2 mile (42.19 km) race course, with the heaviest crowds near the finish line.

Mike Mitchell of Vancouver, Canada, a runner who had finished the race, said he was looking back at the finish line and saw a "massive explosion."

Smoke rose 50 feet (15 metres) in the air, Mitchell said. People began running and screaming after hearing the noise, Mitchell said.

"Everybody freaked out," Mitchell said.

The annual Boston Marathon, held since 1897, attracts an estimated half-million spectators and some 20,000 participants every year.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra cancelled Monday night's concert and the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins cancelled their home game against the Ottawa Senators. The Boston Red Sox had completed their Major League Baseball game at Fenway Park before the explosions.

CHRIS Colfer's character on the television show Glee, the flamboyantly gay Kurt Hummel, is one of the social outcasts celebrated by the popular musical-comedy series.

Like Kurt, the 22-year-old actor has come into his own since the show first aired in 2009. As a teenager, Colfer was bullied so badly that he had to be home-schooled for a couple of years.

"I spent most of my time stuffed into lockers," he has said of his middle-school years. "Thank God for cellphones or I'd still be in there."

Now, he is one of the show's biggest stars and uses the spotlight to draw attention to the problem of bullying in schools.

He has also emerged as the most multi-talented of the actor-singer-dancers who populate the Glee cast, having branched out into writing books for children and young adults. The first, The Land Of Stories: The Wishing Spell, topped the New York Times bestseller list last July.

And back in January, he appeared in an independent film about another high-school outsider, Struck By Lightning, which he also wrote.

He has managed to do all this while working on Glee.

"I was just very, very driven to do those things," he tells members of the media on a set visit during the filming of Glee's fourth season.

"I knew that I would be an idiot if I didn't take every opportunity that was given to me now because as much as we love Glee, it's going to be over some day," he says in his crisp, rapid-fire voice.

"If I don't start making a path for myself now, there may not be a path to go to when the show's over. So it's a mix of drive and fear. Fear is the best motivator."

Another thing that fuels the actor, who won a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for Glee in 2011, is a sense of responsibility towards his fans.

Many identify with him as an outsider or look up to him because he and his character are openly gay.

He says: "It's an amazing honour. When I think about the stacks and stacks of thousands of letters I've received from kids over the years, just saying, 'Thank you so much' or 'It means so much to me', you can't deny the fact that it's had an amazing impact."

The adulation can sometimes weigh heavily, though.

"Being a role model can be a little hard to bear sometimes. I try to take it very seriously because I know there really was no one like us to look up to when I was growing up," he says.

"These kids confess their deepest darkest secrets to you because you're their hero. You want to help everybody who writes but you can't. That's definitely the heavy part. But I'm happy to be there for them to do that. You kind of become the world's psychiatrist."

Colfer's fans have stayed loyal to him and the show even though his character was one of those who graduated from high school during the previous season and moved to New York.

Shooting scenes in the Big Apple has led to several close encounters with Glee aficionados, he reveals.

"In Los Angeles, it doesn't matter where we're shooting, no one cares because people are so used to it. But every time we go to New York, there are so many kids where we shoot. We'll be filming a scene and someone will interrupt and ask to take a picture of you."

Colfer reciprocates that loyalty, politely declining when asked to share an example of the most outrageous fan behaviour he has experienced.

"I always feel so bad because every time I tell a story, I know they're listening somewhere and I hate to hurt their feelings. And thankfully, there are as many nice stories as there are crazy, got-to-call-the-police stories."

The actor is more forthcoming when it comes to the stories he writes himself, including his best-selling novel, The Land Of Stories: The Wishing Spell, the first tome in a two-book deal.

"It's about twins who fall into this fairy-tale world," he explains. "They think they know the characters because they grew up reading about them, but once they meet them, they realise that this world is not everything they thought it would be."

This mirrors his own experiences growing up, he says.

"As I got older and had this experience with Glee, I started thinking, that's kind of how this world is. There have been many people I've met who have been villainised in certain situations when I know that they should not have been, and people I know who've been praised in situations when they should not have been.

"I really wanted to play with that idea and get into the heads of kids who read the story, so that maybe they will have a better understanding of the way the world works as they get older."

Also in the works: He has been hired to adapt a children's book into a TV pilot for The Disney Channel.

With talks now in progress over the future of Glee and whether it should be renewed for a fifth season, he may have done well to put his eggs into a few other baskets. He is having a blast doing it too.

"Right now, when I'm not on Glee, I'm writing and shooting movies and writing books. And I've fallen in love with those processes. I hope I can continue doing this forever." -The Straits Times Singapore

● Glee Season 4 airs on Star World (Astro Ch 711) and Star World HD (Astro Ch 722) every Thursday at 9.55pm.

KUALA LUMPUR: Pandelela Rinong needs to get over the 80-point barrier when she competes in the third leg of the FINA Diving World Series in Edinburgh, Scotland, this weekend.

Pandelela returned to competition for the first time since the London Olympics to clinch a bronze in the individual platform in last month's opening leg in Beijing. She scored 337.75 points.

But she had a good wake-up call in the following leg in Dubai. Despite scoring higher in Dubai, Pandelela had to be contented with only a fifth placing with a 353.50 total.

In both the legs, Pandelela failed to break the 80-point barrier.

Each dive is worth 100 points. Only the Chinese divers are capable of breaking the 80-point barrier.

Pandelela, the Olympic bronze medallist, is aware that the standard of the 10m platform individual is higher than ever. She has no other options but to further improve on her dives if she wants to finish on the podium.

Pandelela will be up against a tougher field this weekend. China have entered a second diver – untested rookie Si Yajie – alongside reigning world and Olympic champion Chen Ruolin.

Canadian Meaghan Benfeito, who took silver behind Ruolin in Beijing and Dubai, is skipping the third leg but Australia's Olympic silver medallist Brittany Broben, Mexico's Orozco Alejandra and Russia's Yulia Koltunova, bronze medallist in Dubai, will be present.

"It's a good wake-up call. I was blown away by all of them in Dubai.

"In Edinburgh, I need to produce at least one or two good dives that can get me past the 80-point barrier or at least maintain an average of 75 points to stand a chance to win a medal.

"I have been training really hard for the past few weeks to get myself prepared for Edinburgh and then in the fourth leg in Moscow the following week. I hope for better things," said the 20-year-old, who will also compete in the 10m platform synchro with Cheong Jun Hoong.

Jun Hoong will also dive in the 3m springboard synchro with Wendy Ng Yan Yee while Ahmad Amsyar and Ooi Tze Liang will compete in the men's 3m springboard synchro.

The divers left for Edinburgh last night, except for Pandelela.

Pandelela is staying back for today's National Sports Awards.

She is the hot favourite to claim the Sportswoman of the Year award for the second straight occasion.

KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei has done his job well to help Malaysia win the US$1mil Axiata Cup on Sunday.

And now the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) coaching and training committee chairman Ng Chin Chai wants him to have enough rest before two major tournaments – the Sudirman Cup at the Putra Stadium from May 19-26 and World Championships in Guangzhou in August.

As such, Chin Chai has advised Chong Wei to skip two upcoming back-to-back tournaments – the India Open Super Series in New Delhi from April 23-28 and Malaysian Open GP Gold at the Juara Stadium from April 30-May 4. Chong Wei is the top seed in both tournaments.

"Chong Wei has come out of his way to help his team and nation at the Axiata Cup. His wife gave birth to their first child (on Friday) but he still agreed to help the team," said Chin Chai.

"We, at the BAM, appreciate his good gesture. He is really doing his best to keep the team together. I, however, feel that he should take some rest now.

"I have spoken to the coaches and also Chong Wei and we have advised him not to go to the India Open. He can also skip the Malaysian Open GP. I would rather he compete in the Sudirman Cup.

"He can take part in one Super Series in Indonesia (in July) before zeroing in on the World Championships.

"Ultimately, Chong Wei's focus is to peak at the world meet and this could be his best chance to win it," said Chin Chai.

Meanwhile, Chin Chai said several decisions would be made at their coaching and training committee meeting on April 27.

"The BWF (Badminton World Federation) will release the list of qualifiers for the World Cham­pionships on April 26. We need to look into that list," said Chin Chai.

The Asian Badminton Cham­pionships (ABC) starting in Taiwan tomorrow is the last tournament that offers qualifying points for the World Championships.

Currently, only men's doubles pair Lim Khim Wah-Goh V Shem, ranked 16th in the world, have yet to confirm their ticket and they will be out to improve their ranking in Taiwan.

Khim Wah-V Shem are in a close tussle with professionals Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif to win the third spot for the world meet.

On Sunday, Chong Wei returned to court just two days after becoming a proud father of his first child Kingston to strengthen Malaysia's chances of winning the title. He dutifully delivered a point by beating Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk in straight games in the men's singles.

Even Sonia Cheah gave a spirited display in the women's singles before going down to the All-England runner-up Ratchanok Intanon. En route to the final, she twice upstaged world No. 9 Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan – in the preliminary round and semi-finals.

Now, the Malaysians are eager to record their best ever performance in the Sudirman Cup at the Putra Stadium from May 19-26.

Malaysia's best achievement in the premier world mixed team event was a semi-final finish – at the 2010 edition in Guangzhou, China.

Chong Wei, the two-time Olympic silver medallist, believes that Malaysia now have the depth and desire to outdo themselves in the Sudirman Cup.

Malaysia are expected to retain the same team for the Sudirman Cup. Woon Khe Wei-Vivian Hoo, who finished runners-up in Sunday's New Zealand Open Grand Prix, will also return to bolster the team.

"We have always done well in team events at home. We will be banking on the same team spirit to achieve our best results in the Sudirman Cup," said Chong Wei.

"The world mixed team will be tougher because China and several other strong countries will parade their best teams. In the Axiata Cup, we pulled through because of team unity. We will be banking on the same camaraderie spirit to do well at the Sudirman Cup. All, however, must be injury free."

Chong Wei also praised Sonia's contribution to the team.

"We used to struggle in the Sudirman Cup because of the lack of depth in the women's singles event. But Sonia has proven at the Axiata Cup that she has more substance in her game now. We now know that she will at least give her opponents a run for their money," he said.

For Peng Soon-Liu Ying, they will be hoping to live up to expectations at the Sudirman Cup. The duo have never done well in the world mixed team event.

"We played one of our best matches in the Axiata Cup and it has given us lots of confidence," said Liu Ying.

"Hopes will be high on us at the more challenging Sudirman Cup but we will be ready. If we set our minds, we can do well in team events too."

Malaysia have been drawn with Germany and Taiwan in Group C in the Sudirman Cup.

The top two teams will qualify for the quarter-finals. A fresh draw will be conducted to determine the quarter-final line-ups.

KUALA LUMPUR: The following factors are likely to influence Malaysian palm oil futures and other vegetable oil markets.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Malaysian palm oil futures fell to a 4-month low on Monday, hurt by easing exports and disappointing Chinese data that raised concerns about the outlook for global commodity demand.

* U.S. grain and soybean futures slid sharply on Monday along with many other commodities as disappointing economic growth in China triggered selling, with Chicago wheat falling the most in two weeks.

* Brent crude oil fell by almost 3 percent to near $100 a barrel on Monday, extending a two-week selloff that has sliced nearly 10 percent off prices, as part of a wider flight by investors from commodities. MARKET NEWS

* The yen firmed against the dollar and the euro early in Asia on Tuesday while riskier markets were likely to encounter another bout of selling after investors dumped commodities and stocks overnight on concerns over slowing growth in China and the U.S.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's bull market is seeing a type of initial public offering (IPO), still fairly new to Asia, that takes a special kind of company public: one with no profits, revenues or assets.

CLIQ Energy Bhd last week became the second such firm, known as a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), to list in Kuala Lumpur, with three more preparing for IPOs.

The spurt comes after Malaysian equities rose for four straight years, including a banner year for IPOs in 2012, and as investors anticipate a jump in mergers and acquisitions in South-East Asia.

But SPACs have historically been high-risk, high-reward investments.

Some United-States-listed SPACs have performed well and built market value, while others have failed to make any acquisition, being forced to delist.

"If the historical experience in the United States is any indication, then it should provide a warning sign that these investments may not turn out to be particularly good ones," said Stefan Lewellen, a SPAC expert who authored a study on US SPACs at Yale University.

Listings of SPACs are also known as blank check IPOs, because such companies raise money through the stock market without a single asset on their books.

SPACs are mere shell companies, with no business to speak of other than a plan to buy corporations that will be folded into the entity.

Investors in a SPAC typically buy a unit and receive a warrant, which trades separately and can only be exercised when the company completes a takeover.

Some investors prefer to take a position on a SPAC's warrants, which are cheaper than units, but the holdings can turn into dust if no acquisitions are made.

SPACs are relatively new to Asia, with South Korea the only other established market for such products.

In the United States, there is a long line of examples where such companies failed to make an acquisition and were forced to delist. Even those that did make a deal, on the whole, have not historically performed well.

Lewellen's research showed that US SPACs with completed acquisitions between 2003 and 2008 posted negative returns in excess of 36.5% a year.

In another study, only half of all SPACs launched in the United States in the last 10 years have completed an actual acquisition, and have posted negative annual returns of 18.6% on average, according to figures from research firm SPAC Analytics.

According to Thomson Reuters data, 247 SPAC IPOs have raised US$27.7bil since 2003 in countries, including the United States, Britain, the Netherlands and Germany.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors make up most of the buyers of US SPACs, according to the data.

This only adds to the challenge of them catching on in Asia, where markets such as Malaysia, South Korea and Greater China are driven heavily by retail investors.

Most of the SPAC listings took place during the boom years in capital markets, with issuance peaking in 2007 at US$10.9bil from 82 offerings.

"SPACs were popular in the United States and now are sort of dead," said an equity capital markets banker in Hong Kong, who was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter. "I'm very sceptical on SPACs. It's risky, it's illiquid. It's a very difficult product to become mainstream."

Hibiscus is now an oil and gas exploration firm after making acquisitions in the Middle East and Norway.

The structure of SPACs is similar in most countries, with about 90% of the IPO funds held in a trust until a takeover target is found.

Because the IPO proceeds are invested in Government bonds or money market funds until the SPAC makes an acquisition, returns should mirror those of a fixed-income fund but that has not always been the case.

After a spurt of listings and a surge in prices in 2010, SPAC issuance in South Korea ground to a halt as prices crashed and companies delisted.

Daewoo Securities Green Korea SPAC and Mirae Asset No 1 SPAC, the first two listed, were among companies that surfed on the retail investor frenzy and nearly doubled in price within weeks of their IPOs.

"Those kinds of stock bubbles were caused by ... financial illiteracy of individual investors," said Kab Lae Kim, head of corporate policy at the Korea Capital Market Institute in Seoul and author of a report on SPACs.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Officers arrested a woman for stalking after she wielded an electric razor while approaching Australian actor Hugh Jackman at a New York City gym, police said on Sunday.

Katherine Thurston, 47, went into the gym where Jackman was working out early on Saturday morning, and after a brief encounter with the 44-year-old actor, she fled and was arrested a few blocks away, a New York police spokeswoman said.

Thurston shouted that she loved the actor before throwing the electric razor, which was filled with hair clippings, at Jackman, who was not injured, local radio station and CBS affiliate 1010 WINS reported. Police officials said they could not confirm those details about the incident.

Jackman told officers that Thurston has been following him and his family for some time, police said.

"I suppose for me the primary concern is my family, obviously," Jackman, who plays Wolverine in the X-Men superhero film series, told the station. "But, you know, here's a woman who obviously needs help, so I just hope she gets the help she needs."

Thurston, who police said was charged with fourth-degree stalking was awaiting her arraignment on Sunday and could not be reached for comment.

The film, about two rival officers' struggle to run a hostage rescue operation, also took best film, best director and best screenplay at the glamorous event considered to be Hong Kong's equivalent of the Academy Awards.

"It's because of this group of such fine performers that we have been successful in producing 'Cold War'," said Leung, 55.

"My daughters called me and told me to thank them, then I said why should I thank you? They said because we watched Cold War four times... we watched it four times, and every time we brought along 20 classmates," an elated Leung said as he received his prize on stage.

Leung played a deputy police commissioner vying for power with a fellow senior officer played by Hong Kong actor Aaron Kwok over an operation to rescue five kidnapped officers.

The best actress honour went to singer-turned-actress Miriam Yeung for her role in the romantic comedy Love In The Buff.

"I never thought I would have this chance," an emotional Yeung said. "Because I started off as a singer... so during the process of acting, I did not know a lot of things when I first started," she said.

Detective thriller The Bullet Vanishes along with Cold War led the race with 12 nominations each as the films went head-to-head in the major acting and directing categories.

The "Best Film Of Mainland and Taiwan" category, which was added last year in recognition of the regional film industry, was won by the mainland Chinese production Back To 1942.

The historical film tells a story of a wealthy man caught up in a famine during the Japanese occupation of China in World War II.

There have been increasing collaborations between Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland filmmakers in recent years to tap the lucrative China market.

The annual Hong Kong Film Awards -- in its 32st edition this year -- is one of the two Chinese language film industry's most prestigious events, alongside Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards.

The glitzy ceremony was held at the harbourfront Hong Kong Cultural Centre attended by dozens of movie stars and celebrities from the city, mainland China and Taiwan, wearing custom-made designer suits and colourful dresses.

The southern Chinese city became an international movie powerhouse in the 1970s and remains a rich source of film talent, with its stars enjoying huge popularity across Asia.

ROME (AFP) - An Indian film loosely based on last year's Costa Concordia shipwreck is to start shooting this year in the same region of Italy where the disaster happened, the Toscana Film Commission said.

Shooting of the Tamil-language film was due to start next month but will have to be delayed because local sensitivities on the island of Giglio where the wreck still lies mean it will have to be filmed on a different island.

The luxury liner crashed into the tiny island in January last year with 4,229 people from dozens of countries on board in a tragedy that claimed 32 lives and triggered international concern over cruise ship safety.

"The community on the island is understandably very sensitive. We are trying to find another island in the archipelago where they can shoot," said Raffaella Conti from the commission, which helps producers shoot films in Tuscany.

The film will be made by Sri Mishri Production and is part of a new wave of Tamil cinema known as "Kollywood" -- a combination of Hollywood and Kodambakkam, a neighbourhood in Chennai in Tamil Nadu in southeast India.

The basic plotline for the film is that "a group of tourists find themselves on a desert island as a result of a shipwreck," Conti said.

Tuscany is bidding to become a new destination for blockbuster film productions from the world's new economic powerhouses.

Bollywood stars have been strutting the mediaeval streets of famous Tuscan cities like Florence, Lucca and Siena in recent months including for the Tamil-language hit Rajapattai starring Vikram.

A popular Brazilian soap opera Passion has led to a spike in tourism from Brazil and Chinese state broadcaster CCTV's The China Story has told the tale of the phenomenon of Chinese immigration in the Tuscan fashion industry.

"We are turning to the BRIC countries as one of our directions," said Conti, using a popular term for global economic powerhouses Brazil, Russia, India and China.

The Toscana Film Commission in Florence, a public-private partnership, helps filmmakers deal with local red tape and find locations and staff.

Its members have attended film festivals in Busan in South Korea and in Hong Kong.

Another Indian movie is due to begin shooting in Tuscany later this year and this time the subject matter is altogether less sensitive. Roy starring well-known actors Ranbir Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez will be a sultry love story between two filmmakers in Tuscany's rolling hills.

PUTRAJAYA: All Malaysian citizens living abroad who have registered as postal voters will cast their votes at Malaysian missions overseas on April 28.

This also includes absentee voters.

Election Commission (EC) secretary Datuk Kamaruddin Mohamed Baria said the EC had set April 28, from 9am to 8pm, for the submission and acceptance of Priority Envelopes containing the postal ballots in London, United Kingdom, and Melbourne, Australia.

He said the same date applied to other Malaysian missions but the period would be shorter, from 9am to 6pm.

"The Malaysian missions in London and Melbourne have an extension of two hours because they have postal voters exceeding 1,000 people," he said in a statement, here, on Monday.

He said all the registered voters must be present at the Malaysian missions and furnish their identity cards or international passports to the EC personnel on duty.

He stressed that the Priority Envelope would not be given to those who did not produce their identification documents and representatives or relatives would not be allowed to collect the envelope on behalf of other individuals.

After marking, the ballot-papers must be put inside the EC's Special Sacks provided at the Malaysian missions abroad.

"The envelopes containing the postal ballot papers in the EC's Special Sacks will be taken back to Malaysia on the same day to be handed to the returning officers of the respective election divisions," he said.

However, Kamaruddin said, those who took the Priority Envelopes after the submission day or returned them after the stipulated date and time would have to personally handle the sending of the envelopes to the returning officers of the respective election divisions at their own expense.

To date, all 1B forms had been sent to the offices of the returning officers of the respective election divisions (Parliament) for their approval, he added.

"Malaysian residents abroad are expected to be able to check on the outcome of their requests to vote via post and information related to the date, time and address of the Malaysian missions abroad at the EC website at www.spr.gov.my starting April 19, 2013," he said. - Bernama

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has urged MCA members to set aside differences to ensure a big win for Barisan Nasional in the general election.

The party president said the general election is a "do or die" battle for MCA.

"We should set aside our differences and ensure all Barisan candidates will emerge victorious because the outcome of the elections will affect MCA's political future and the nation.

"We have young and senior leaders as candidates in MCA, the youngest MCA candidate is only 25 years old," he said.

Dr Chua said there are 19 (51.3%) new faces for parliamentary seats and 49 (54.4%) new faces for state seats.

"For parliamentary seats, we have 21 candidates from the central body (with six new faces), 11 (eight new faces) from the Youth, and five from the Wanita wing, who are all new candidates.

"For state seats, we have 53 candidates (22 new faces) from the central body, 25 (19 new faces) from the Youth, and 12 (8 new faces) from the Wanita Wing," he said.

The party has named candidates for all the seats except for the Parit Yaani state seat in Johor due to some technicalities.

Wanita MCA vice-head Datuk Heng Seai Kie is a surprise inclusion to the list. She will contest the Padang Serai parliamentary seat, while newcomer Jessie Ooi, also known as "Ms Tow Truck," will be contesting the Kuala Kubu Baru state seat.

The party's traditional seat of Gelang Patah has not been included in the list, further fuelling speculation that Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman will take on DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang.

Gelang Patah MCA division chief Jason Teoh has also not been named as a candidate for any seat.

The youngest candidate is Kampar MCA Youth committee member Daniel Wa Wai How, 25, who will be contesting the Keranji state seat in Perak, while the oldest candidate is 70-year-old Selangor MCA Information Bureau chief Datuk Yap Pian Hon, chosen to contest the Serdang parliamentary seat.

MCA contested in 40 parliamentary and 90 state seats in the 2008 general election.

Dr Chua said party aspirants who were not nominated as candidates this time around should accept the leadership's decision in good faith and hoped they would cooperate to help wrest more seats and ensure the victory of MCA and Barisan in this crucial general election.

"Since this general election is a tough fight between the Barisan and Opposition parties, new strategies have to be put in place to ensure that the Barisan wins more seats in this election.

"For instance, we've employed a new strategy by introducing changes and "loaning" several parliament and state seats to component parties to help the Barisan win more seats this time around," said Dr Chua, who is not contesting in this election.

Dr Chua also assured that the MCA would get back the seats it had "loaned" to other component parties following the redelineation of electoral boundaries after the general election.

Dr Chua said last week that MCA was "loaning" the Kuantan parliamentary seat to Umno and the Kota Laksamana state seat in Malacca to the People's Progressive Party (PPP). - Bernama